The present invention generally relates to the field of plasma processes and, more particularly, to monitoring/evaluating such plasma processes.
Plasma is used in various types of industrial-type processes in the semiconductor and printed wiring board industries, as well as in various other industries such as in the medical equipment and automotive industries. One common use of plasma is for etching away materials in an isolated or controlled environment. Various types of materials may be etched by one or more plasma compositions, including glasses, silicon or other substrate materials, organics such as photoresist, waxes, plastics, rubbers, biological agents, and vegetable matter, and metals such as copper, aluminum, titanium, tungsten, and gold. Plasma is also utilized for depositing materials such as organics and metals onto an appropriate surface by various techniques, such as via chemical vapor deposition. Sputtering operations may also utilize plasmas to generate ions which sputter away material from a source (e.g., metals, organics) and deposit these materials onto a target such as a substrate. Surface modification operations also use plasmas, including operations such as surface cleaning, surface activation, surface passivation, surface roughening, surface smoothing, micromachining, hardening, and patterning.
Plasma processing operations can have a significant effect on a company""s profit margin. This is particularly true in the semiconductor and printed wiring board industries. Consider that a single semiconductor fabrication facility may have up to 200-300 processing chambers and that each processing chamber in commercial production may process at least about 15-20 wafers per hour. Further consider that an eight inch wafer which is processed in one of these chambers in some cases may be used to produce up to 1,500 semiconductor chips which are each worth at least about $125, and that each of these semiconductor chips are in effect xe2x80x9cpre-sold.xe2x80x9d Therefore, a single wafer which has undergone an abnormal plasma process and which is scrapped will result in lost revenues of at least about $187,500.
The particular plasma process which acts on the wafer such that a semiconductor device may be formed therefrom is commonly referred to as a plasma recipe. Some skilled in the art refer to a plasma recipe as being a combination of one or more plasma steps, each of which is executed for a fixed period of time. However, xe2x80x9cplasma recipexe2x80x9d as used in relation to the present invention means a plasma processing protocol which includes one or more different and distinct plasma steps (e.g., a certain combination of certain steps). xe2x80x9cDifferent and distinctxe2x80x9d means that each plasma step produces a different, predetermined result on the product being processed (e.g., a wafer). Differences between plasma steps may be realized by changing one or more process conditions, including without limitation the composition of the plasma, the temperature and pressure in the processing chamber, DC bias, pumping speeds, and power settings. The sequence of the plasma steps, as well as the result of each plasma step, also produces a desired overall or cumulative end result for the plasma recipe.
Plasma processes may be run on wafers in a commercial production facility in the following manner. A cassette or boat which stores a plurality of wafers (e.g., 24) is provided to a location which may be accessed by a wafer handling system associated with one or more processing chambers. One wafer at a time is processed in the chamber, although some chambers may accommodate more than one wafer at a time for simultaneous plasma processing. One or more qualification wafers may be included in each cassette, and the rest are commonly referred to as production wafers. Both the qualification and production wafers are exposed to the same plasma process in the chamber. However, no semi-conductor devices are formed from a qualification wafer as qualification wafers are processed and retained solely for testing/evaluating the plasma process, whereas semiconductor devices are formed from the production wafers. Further processing operations of these now plasma processed production wafers may be required before semiconductor devices are actually formed from such production wafers.
Monitoring is employed by many plasma processes to evaluate one or more aspects of the process. One common monitoring technique associated with plasma recipes run on wafers is endpoint detection. Current endpoint detection systems attempt to identify when a single plasma step of a given plasma recipe is complete, or more specifically that point in time when the predetermined result associated with the plasma step has been produced on the product. A representative xe2x80x9cpredeterminedxe2x80x9d result is when a layer of a multi-layered wafer has been completely removed in a manner defined by a mask or the like. Although prior art systems exist for attempting to identify the endpoint of a single step of a multiple step plasma recipe, no known system is able to identify the endpoint of each step of a multiple step plasma recipe, or even any two steps of a multiple step recipe for that matter.
Having the ability to terminate a given plasma step at its endpoint or just after endpoint is reached would reduce costs in a number of ways. Obviously, the amount of gases which are used to generate the plasma may be reduced by terminating a given plasma step when it has achieved its desired result. More importantly, terminating a given plasma step at or very shortly after its endpoint has been reached prevents the wafer from being over-etched to an undesired degree. Over-etching a wafer removes more material from the wafer than desired, such as by etching away portions of the layer immediately following that which was to be etched, and may also result in the undesirable sputtering of materials onto other portions of the wafer. The resulting effect on the semiconductor device(s) formed from this wafer may reduce the quality of the semiconductor device(s), may go undetected until the semiconductor device(s) has been delivered to the customer which would not be desirable if the device(s) was defective or deficient in any way, or both. Finally, a certain degree of over-etching of a wafer may result in the wafer simply being scrapped.
Endpoint detection is desirable in theory for plasma processes. Certain deficiencies became evident as attempts were made to implement endpoint detection techniques in commercial fabrication facilities. Initially, all known endpoint detection techniques were developed by first chemically analyzing the subject plasma operation to identify a wavelength to key in on as being indicative of endpoint. Fabrication facilities typically run a multiplicity of plasma recipes. As such, these known endpoint detection techniques increase costs due to the required retention of an experienced chemist. Moreover, these techniques often do not produce the intended resultxe2x80x94that is the wavelength which is selected by the chemist may in fact not be at all indicative of endpoint when the plasma step is actually run since it is only xe2x80x9ctheoryxe2x80x9d based. A given endpoint detection technique may also be dependent upon the processing chamber on which the technique was developed. Accurate results may not be realized when the endpoint detection technique is used on other processing chambers. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system in which the amount of chemical xe2x80x9cpre-analysisxe2x80x9d is reduced and which would allow the plasma monitoring system to work to an acceptable degree on multiple processing chambers (i.e., a generic plasma monitoring system which was able to identify the relevant endpoint).
Commonly used endpoint detection techniques provide no information on how the plasma process has actually proceeded or the xe2x80x9chealthxe2x80x9d of the plasma processxe2x80x94only if and when an endpoint of the subject plasma step has been reached. Other monitoring techniques which are commonly used in plasma processes suffer from this same type of deficiency. Pressures, temperatures, and flow rates of the feed gases used to form the plasma are commonly monitored. Various aspects relating to the electrical system associated with the plasma are also monitored, such as the power settings being utilized since this will affect the behavior of the plasma. However, these types of monitoring operations do not necessarily provide an indication of how the plasma process is actually proceeding. All of the xe2x80x9chardwarexe2x80x9d settings may be correct, but still the plasma may not be performing properly for a variety of reasons (e.g., an xe2x80x9cunhealthyxe2x80x9d plasma). Since errors in a plasma process are typically detected by some type of post processing, destructive testing technique, multiple wafers are typically exposed to the faulty plasma process before the error is actually identified and remedied. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which provided a more accurate indication of how the current plasma process was actually proceeding on a more xe2x80x9creal-timexe2x80x9d basis, and thereby allowed for a reduction in the number of wafers which are exposed to abnormal plasma processes. Moreover, it would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which identified the existence of an error in the plasma process at least before the next wafer is exposed to such an xe2x80x9cabnormalxe2x80x9d plasma process.
Other areas of the semiconductor manufacturing process can adversely impact the profit margin of the commercial fabrication facility. Often an operator will run the wrong plasma recipe and the resulting wafers will be scrapped. It would be desirable for a plasma monitoring system to readily identify the plasma recipe being run on the given chamber to avoid this type of situation. Moreover, the length of each step of a given plasma recipe is typically set for a certain amount of time which accounts for the worst case condition (i.e., such that even the xe2x80x9cslowestxe2x80x9d running of the plasma step will be completed in this time frame). In many cases the step will actually be completed a significant time before this maximum setting is reached, causing the problems identified in the discussion of endpoint detection. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which was able to identify the steps of a plasma recipe as it was being run within a processing chamber, and to utilize this information in relation to the control of the plasma process (e.g., to terminate the current step, initiate the next plasma step, or both).
Plasma processing of product (e.g., wafers) within the processing chamber will likely have an effect on the interior of the processing chamber which in turn may have an adverse effect on subsequent plasma recipes which are run on product within the chamber. Certain xe2x80x9cbyproductsxe2x80x9d of a plasma process run on product in the chamber may be deposited on one or more interior surfaces of the chamber. These deposits may have some type of adverse effect on one or more plasma recipes which are being run in the processing chamber (e.g., a processing chamber may be used to run more than one type of plasma recipe). Deposits on the interior surfaces of the processing chamber may have the following exemplary effects on the performance of the chamber: a longer period of time may be required to reach the endpoint of one or more plasma steps of the plasma recipe; endpoint of one or more plasma steps may never be reached; and a result which is different than expected of the current plasma step may be undesirably realized (i.e., an unexpected/undesirable result). Processing chambers are typically removed from the production line on a scheduled, periodic basis for a cleaning operation to address the above-noted conditions, regardless of whether the chamber is actually in condition for a cleaning and even if the chamber was ready for cleaning well before this time. It would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which would provide an indication of when a processing chamber should be removed from production for cleaning.
Cleaning operations which are used to address the above-noted deposits include plasma cleans of the interior of the processing chamber, wet cleans of the interior of the processing chamber, and replacement of certain components of the processing chamber which may actually be consumed by the plasma processes conducted therein and are therefore commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cconsumablesxe2x80x9d. A plasma clean addresses the above-noted deposits by running an appropriate plasma in the processing chamber typically without any product therein (e.g., no production wafers), and therefore with the chamber being in an xe2x80x9cemptyxe2x80x9d condition. The plasma acts on these deposits in a plasma clean and reduces the thickness thereof by chemical action, mechanical action, or both. Resulting vapors and particulate matter are exhausted from the chamber during the plasma clean. It would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which would provide an accurate indication of both the health and endpoint of the plasma clean currently being conducted within the processing chamber.
In some cases a plasma clean alone will not adequately address the condition of the interior of the processing chamber. Another cleaning technique which may be employed, alone or in combination with a plasma clean, is commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cwet clean.xe2x80x9d Various types of solvents or the like may be used in a wet clean and are manually applied by personnel. In this regard, the subject processing chamber is depressurized, the chamber is opened to gain appropriate access, and the interior surfaces of the chamber are manually wiped down such that the solvents may remove at least some of the deposits by chemical action, mechanical action, or both. It would further be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which would provide an accurate indication of when further execution of a plasma clean of the interior of the processing chamber will be substantially ineffective such that a wet clean may be more timely initiated or eliminated altogether.
Wet cleans and plasma cleans of the interior surfaces of the processing chamber may be ineffective in addressing deposits after a certain number of plasma processes have been conducted in the chamber. Sufficient degradation of the interior surfaces of the processing chamber may necessitate that certain components of the chamber be replaced. Components of the processing chamber which are typically replaced on some type of periodic basis are the showerhead, the wafer platform, the wafer pedestal, the quartz bell jar, and the quartz bell roof.
Additional processing of the interior surfaces of the chamber is typically undertaken after a wet clean has been performed, after one or more components of a processing chamber have been replaced and prior to resuming commercial use of the chamber (e.g., the processing of wafers in the chamber for commercial purposes), and in the case of a new chamber for that matter. No product is present in the processing chamber as a plasma is introduced into the now sealed processing chamber in this type of operation which is also commonly referred to as a plasma cleaning operation. Plasma cleaning operations in this instance address the solvent residuals from the wet clean, xe2x80x9cprepxe2x80x9d the new components of the chamber for plasma processing of product in the chamber, or both. It would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which would provide an accurate indication of both the health and endpoint of the plasma cleaning operation in this type of case.
Conditioning wafers may be run through the processing chamber before running production wafers through the processing chamber after any type of cleaning of the processing chamber, after any components of the chamber have been replaced, or in the case of a new chamber which has never had any plasma processes conducted therein. An entire plasma processes is typically run on one or more conditioning wafers disposed in the subject processing chamber in a conditioning wafer operation. Conditioning wafers may simply be xe2x80x9cblanksxe2x80x9d or may have some semiconductor device components thereon, and the running of entire plasma processes thereon may do nothing to the conditioning wafers or portions of the conditioning wafer may be etched. Nonethless, no semiconductor devices are ever formed from a conditioning wafer and no integrated circuit of any kind is ever etched onto a conditioning wafer while running the plasma recipe thereon. Instead, conditioning wafers of this type are either refurbished (e.g., material is redeposited back into those areas which were etched during the conditioning wafer operation) and re-used again as a conditioning wafer or they are scrapped. The processing of these conditioning wafers further xe2x80x9cprepsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cseasonsxe2x80x9d the chamber and is done for the purpose of placing the chamber in a certain condition for production. No devices are currently being used to identify when the processing of the conditioning wafers has achieved its intended purpose. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a plasma monitoring system which would provide an accurate indication of when the conditioning wafer operation may be terminated, as well as the health of such an operation.
The claims in the subject patent application are directed to the ninth aspect discussed in the preface to the Detailed Description section of the present patent application. The other aspects addressed in the noted preface are presented in one or more other related patent applications.